10 Follow us on Twitter @BetterFarmingON Better Farming | April 2024 WHAT ARE WE PLANTING THIS YEAR? ‘Still trying to perfect the production of current crops before branching out.’ By Emily Croft The 2024 planting season quickly approaches, and most Ontario producers have now decided which crops will be planted in their fields. In recent years, more information has become available on the benefits of extending rotations through trying new crops. The addition of cover crops and forages have also received increased attention as crop producers look to improve their soil health, or potentially even reap the benefits of livestock feed production on crop land. Trying new crops can be a solution to disease pressure, provide soil benefits, and open up new markets and opportunity for diversified income. When asked if they had plans to try any new crops this year, 27.5 per cent of Better Farming readers said they do plan to expand their cropping lineup this year. What are Ontario farmers planting in 2024? Steve, Chatham-Kent: “We are looking at growing black beans and getting into flower farming.” Daniel, Simcoe County: “I will be planting corn, soybeans, and wheat. This year I am trying hard red winter wheat in addition to soft red wheat.” Brady, Kawartha Lakes: “I’m not 100 per cent sure yet. “I might try barley and I would love to try some canola, but I’m not quite ready to get it in my operation. I also might try some different cover crops for green feed for the cows.” Patrick, Chatham-Kent: “We are growing hay for bales and haylage, beans, corn for silage, wheat, rye, and oats.” Michel, Russell County: “Corn and soybeans.” Mike, Huron County: “Corn, Enlist soybeans, IP soybeans, adzuki beans, hard red winter wheat, and alfalfa hay.” Ken, Wellington County: “Wheat, corn, and soybeans.” Tom, Dufferin County: “Corn, soybeans, and wheat.” Claire, Temiskaming District: “We are planting oats.” Christine, Bruce County: “Corn, wheat, soybeans, hay, and a mixed cover crop.” Brian, Waterloo Region: “Corn, winter wheat, IP soybeans, and alfalfa.” Jessica, Huron County: “Hay, mixed grain, soybeans, and grain corn.” Jon, Niagara Region: “We are planting soybeans and wheat. “A new crop we are trying is Sorghum-Sudan grass silage for cattle feed because it provides an opportunity to double-crop.” Steve, Oxford County: “We are trying triticale for haylage to maximize our forage crops, and to get better digestibility and protein and in turn get a higher milk output from our herd.” Tammi, Bruce County: “Soybeans, corn, oats, and peas.” Doug, Middlesex County: “We are growing corn, soybeans, and wheat. We are still trying to perfect the production of those crops before branching out into something new.” Norm, Peterborough County: “We are growing corn, wheat, soybeans, and oats. We are trying some barley to support a micro-brewery.” Joan, Grey County: “We are trying canola.” Barclay, Wellington County: “I will be planting radicchio as a new crop.” Doug, Perth County: “We are planting wheat, corn, and soybeans.” John, Prince Edward County: “Corn, IP soybeans, wheat, and hay.” Allan, Peel Region: “We grow soft red winter wheat, soybeans, and corn, and will try some winter canola this year.” Ron, Essex County: “We are trying white hilum soybeans.” BF Digging Deeper ‘We are planting wheat, corn, and soybeans.’ Emily Croft photo
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